UNEP Offers Factsheets on Safe Use of Alternative Refrigerants
Topics include toxicity, flammability, and higher pressures
With the advancing worldwide phaseout of hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs), the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP’s) OzonAction Division of Technology has produced a series of factsheets on the safe use of the new alternative refrigerants.
“Many countries, particularly the developing countries, will soon be using the newer alternatives which possess very different toxicity, flammability, or higher pressure characteristics to R-22,” UNEP said. “Safety issues need to be carefully evaluated and considered whenever refrigeration and air conditioning equipment is installed, serviced, repaired, and dismantled. Many service technicians around the world will be unfamiliar with some of the properties of these new refrigerants, which is where these new guides come in.